The Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation: Joint message

(Vatican
Radio) The Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation is being marked today
September 1 and has special importance in this its third year.

It is a Joint Message which was released on Friday morning from Pope
Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who for the first time are
writing together on Themes of the Day, inviting all the faithful and
men of good will to prayer and to reflect on how to live in a simple and
solid manner, responsibly using earthly goods.

The Day of Prayer for the Creation of the Creation was instituted by
Pope Francis in 2015. The Orthodox Church has commemorated the Day since
1989.

Below find the English Language translation of the Joint Message from Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch BartholomewJOINT MESSAGE

of Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on the World Day of Prayer for Creation

The story of creation presents us with a panoramic view of the world.
Scripture reveals that, “in the beginning”, God intended humanity to
cooperate in the preservation and protection of the natural environment.
At first, as we read in Genesis, “no plant of the field was yet in the
earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up – for the Lord God had
not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the
ground” (2:5). The earth was entrusted to us as a sublime gift and
legacy, for which all of us share responsibility until, “in the end”,
all things in heaven and on earth will be restored in Christ (cf. Eph
1:10). Our human dignity and welfare are deeply connected to our care
for the whole of creation.

However, “in the meantime”, the history of the world presents a very
different context. It reveals a morally decaying scenario where our
attitude and behaviour towards creation obscures our calling as God’s
co-operators. Our propensity to interrupt the world’s delicate and
balanced ecosystems, our insatiable desire to manipulate and control the
planet’s limited resources, and our greed for limitless profit in
markets – all these have alienated us from the original purpose of
creation. We no longer respect nature as a shared gift; instead, we
regard it as a private possession. We no longer associate with nature in
order to sustain it; instead, we lord over it to support our own
constructs.

The consequences of this alternative worldview are tragic and
lasting. The human environment and the natural environment are
deteriorating together, and this deterioration of the planet weighs upon
the most vulnerable of its people. The impact of climate change
affects, first and foremost, those who live in poverty in every corner
of the globe. Our obligation to use the earth’s goods responsibly
implies the recognition of and respect for all people and all living
creatures. The urgent call and challenge to care for creation are an
invitation for all of humanity to work towards sustainable and integral
development.

Therefore, united by the same concern for God’s creation and
acknowledging the earth as a shared good, we fervently invite all people
of goodwill to dedicate a time of prayer for the environment on 1
September. On this occasion, we wish to offer thanks to the loving
Creator for the noble gift of creation and to pledge commitment to its
care and preservation for the sake of future generations. After all, we
know that we labour in vain if the Lord is not by our side (cf. Ps
126-127), if prayer is not at the centre of our reflection and
celebration. Indeed, an objective of our prayer is to change the way we
perceive the world in order to change the way we relate to the world.
The goal of our promise is to be courageous in embracing greater
simplicity and solidarity in our lives.

We urgently appeal to those in positions of social and economic, as
well as political and cultural, responsibility to hear the cry of the
earth and to attend to the needs of the marginalized, but above all to
respond to the plea of millions and support the consensus of the world
for the healing of our wounded creation. We are convinced that there can
be no sincere and enduring resolution to the challenge of the
ecological crisis and climate change unless the response is concerted
and collective, unless the responsibility is shared and accountable,
unless we give priority to solidarity and service.From the Vatican and from the Phanar, 1 September 2017 Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

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